1. Field of the Invention
A support and display assembly to facilitate storage and display of each of a plurality of objects wherein each object is held in a rotatably mounted holder structure and each is individually positionable between two oppositely disposed angularly oriented positions wherein each of the objects being held may be easily viewed for selection as they travel between such opposite positions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,802 is directed to a "record finder" structure wherein a support frame has rotatably mounted thereon a plurality of holding devices specifically des igned to be pivotal and each more specifically structured to hold a phonographic record. This unit was specifically structured to be "automatic" in the sense that a manual turning between angular positions of a first record in a first holder was sufficient to actuate each of the successive records into a rotational movement between angular inclining positions. At the time such record finder was popular, phonographic records intended to be held thereby were relatively heavy and large varying in weight and size respectively at substantially about 8 ounces in weight and 12 inches in diameter.
Numerous suggestions or advancements in the prior art were attempted so that other objects than phonographs could be held for display and storage in the same type of support structure. Such objects included but were not limited to phonographs, wallpaper samples, thin veneer samples, paint color samples, etc.
In recent years because of the development in modern-day personal and industrial computers, very lightweight floppy disks, compact disks (CD's) and the like are well known commercially. These objects, while being extremely thin, differ from the phonographs in size and also in the fact that they are very light in weight. A support and display structure of the type referred to above and disclosed in the above noted patent was impractical and inefficient for use in the storage of these very light, modern-day objects. This is due to the fact that the automatic and successive pivotal rotation of the holder elements in the prior art record finder structure depended upon the weight of the record to accomplish such automatic successive positioning of all of the holders mounted on the frame. With the floppy disk, CD's and like structures being very lightweight and small, the automatic, successive functioning or repositioning of the holders simply does not work.
Another disadvantage is that floppy disks, diskettes, etc., are not provided with readily recognizable covers. To the contrary, it is important that a certain time be required for the display of each of the items held for purposes of identification. Typically, proper identification of these objects are on relatively small labels or the like which are frequently hard to read. It has therefore become apparent that important modification of the prior art type structures must be required in order to provide an effective and efficient storage and display assembly adaptable for modern-day thin, lightweight objects. In addition, the successive and "automatic" turning of each of the holders which contain an object is no longer a desirable operative feature since more time is now required to view, for purposes of identification, each of the diskettes or like objects being held.